Thursday, September 17, 2009

Soda drinkers 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese

While health officials have long suspected the link between obesity and soda consumption, new research provides the first scientific evidence of the potent role soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages play in fueling California's expanding girth.

- Adults who drink a soda or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight than those who do not drink sodas, regardless of income or ethnicity

- Over 10.7 million Californians over the age of one drink one or more sodas per day

- 41 percent of children (ages 2-11), 62 percent of adolescents (ages 12-17) and 24 percent of adults drink at least one soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages every day

"The science is clear and conclusive: soda is fueling California's $41 billion a year obesity epidemic," says CCPHA Executive Director Dr. Harold Goldstein, an author of the research brief. "We drink soda like water. But unlike water, soda serves up a whopping 17 teaspoons of sugar in every 20-ounce serving."Can you imagine trying to eat 17 teaspoons of sugar?!